Riding Kit

Wearing the correct kit on track not only saves your skin in the event of an ‘off’ it also offers the rider a huge amount of comfort. Being comfortable on a bike also allows us to get on with the important business of enjoying ourselves and exploring our potential.

Suits

One of the most obvious pieces that we wear on track is the race suit. While we are aware that there are a number of manufacturers making vegan suits we are much better informed when it comes to leather.

The minimum requirement is a two piece suit with a full waist zip. Significantly more preferable is a full race suit. There’s a huge range of brands that make these suits and do so to a MotoGP riders spec. We’re looking for a few features. The leather should offer significant protection and needs to be triple stitched. This is where a fold of leather protects the main seam and is sewn once again on either side. Both will protect the rider from any unplanned circuit surfing! Exterior protectors on the outside of the shoulders and knees are fitted to most modern suits. As well as protecting the suit they also compliment the armour beneath them.

Within the suit there should be armour on both knees, elbows and shoulders. Companies like D30 are third party suppliers of, what has become, a much more sophisticated product. Basically a very soft material is used. In the event of an impact the molecules lock to absorb kinetic energy.

Stretch panels are made into the knees and elbows as is traditional. These are now added to with aramid fibres. Placed in non-impact areas such as the back of the legs, inside of the arms and the crotch. These allow for a much better fit as well as whole lot more comfort. Kevlar is to be found on the hips the forearms as well as the ‘seat’. Speaking of comfort a detachable liner and a neoprene collar and cuffs are a the last word in comfort.

If a new suit isn’t compatible with an airbag then just don’t buy one. Knee and elbow sliders are to be expected as standard.

Helmets

Attending any trackday is going to involve wearing a helmet. The minimum standard for a riders headgear on a circuit is actually quite low. The US standard for helmets is a DOT certificate. This basically means that it’s a helmet. It’s of the right shape and has a strap. That’s it. There’s no further details or testing required. It’s such a low bar that just about anything could pass it.

On the other end of the scale there’s the SNELL rating. This, while also from the US, is one of the highest standards in the world. Each year it gets more exacting and each year the manufacturers have to up their game to stay in the fold. These are the ones that we want to be wearing on track.

Even with the most basic understanding of physics it’s easy to understand that the faster you go the more energy you carry. Wearing a DOT qualified helmet on a race track doesn’t bare thinking about. This is also the problem with open face helmets, for obvious reasons, as well as with ‘system’ helmets.

The latter have hinges at the ends of each side of the visor which allow the entire face of the lid to be lifted. These are very in popular in the world of motorcycle touring as well as by first responders across the globe.

Some of these such as the Schubert range and the Neotech from Shoei have very high ratings and excellent impact performance. What they’re not rated for is a race track incident. If they were then we’d see a lot more MotoGP riders wearing them. The hinge creates a weak point and the capacity to make a simple off into a tragedy. You will not be allowed out on track wearing one.

As with leather suits and gloves what we want our helmets to do is absorb the impact by allowing us to slide or ‘glance off’ objects. This lets the rider to dissipate that unwanted energy in a significantly safer and easier way.

To this end we need a helmet that copes with the initial contact and then prevents secondary impacts by letting our heads slide rather than ‘catch’ the ground repeatedly exposing the wearer to repeated concussions and /or secondary injuries such as those that occur in the neck.

Japanese company, Arai, have studied the data collected from racing and road accidents for decades. As well as using some very clever impact resistant and shock absorbing technology they’ve perfected the ability to allow the helmet to do it’s very best in the event of something unpleasant happening.

Spending money on something like an RX7V from Arai and adding a dark visor will run you a little over €1,200. The helmet itself has a life of five years, so looking at it that way it costs less than €250 each year to provide your head with the best protection ever made.

Boots

Like a good suit a good pair of boots are usually designed with feedback from professional MotoGP riders. Since the effort being asked of a pair of race boots is so high the construction tends to be somewhat complex. Inner boots that slide into the outer shell are not uncommon. Specific lacing and fasteners allow for them to be closed to the perfect fit.

Some sort of shaft along the sole will be more than effective if they ever need to prove themselves. The soles are also constructed with wear zones that allow us to enjoy comfortable contact with the pegs and foot controls. TCX actually make theirs in conjunction with Michelin! Anti-twist technology controls the sort of movement that would, at least, cause a sprained ankle. All of this should be standard in any boot that you should wear on track.

While you’re never going to do a 10K run in a pair, comfort is important. To this end the use of Airtech offers breathability. The outer skin compliments this with perforations in the leather. Vegan options are available.

Also on that outer skin we’d expect to see armour on the shin, ankle and toes. The inner boot needs to be braced. Once again, all of this has been developed with world class racers. A group of people who know a thing or two about crashing a bike.

Last, but not least, toe sliders are always going to be used. Even if you’ve never touched the ground mid corner you will after you’ve done a few trackdays and an unnecessary tear on your new boots will make you sad.

Gloves

The object of a good pair is to protect the wearers hands in the event of an impact. To this end an understanding of the mechanism of injury is going to be helpful. When we land that same energy, as in a helmet, is going to need to go somewhere. Having a scaphoid protection system works by having, what look like, two little knee sliders on the palms of each hand.

This stops the gloves from ‘gripping’ the ground and causing secondary injuries, just like the dreaded crushed scaphoid or a twisted wrist. Quite simply, the gloves ‘glance off’ just like a good helmet.

Other features that we look for are a great fit. Too tight and feel and feedback from the bike is reduced while the gloves are so much more susceptible to increased wear. Too large and control of the bike becomes more difficult. They may also detach from the riders hands in the event of an incident.

Back Protection

Another part of the mix is the back protector. A simple, flexible and lightweight piece of kit, they’re another necessary addition which enable the wearer to ride safely on track. A good one has a kidney belt incorporated and adjustable straps as well as a chest protector. This last one is often available separately. All of these, once adjusted properly, hold the piece in place. Once again, when ‘tested’ they work a treat!

Much more preferable spine protection is the Airbag. These are 100% autonomous and smart. The ‘brain’, which is built into the unit is where all the sensors and algorithms live. This piece of technology runs a staggering 1,000 analyses every second. This will continuously measure the wearers position. If it detects a fall then it activates. Once it does it inflates instantly, within 60 milliseconds, protecting the riders torso and neck.   

There are a number of manufacturers making these with Alpinestars, Dainese and In&Motion all having excellent products on offer. All are widely available and when bought as a ‘vest’ they can easily be worn on when riding on the road as well as other ‘invigorating’ activities.

Important to note is that you will not be allowed out on track without one or the other.

Base Layers

If you’ve ever worn a suit over a t-shirt you’ll know how uncomfortable it can be! One of the open secrets of comfort is the base layer. Using products such as Hydrocool and Silverplus to wick away moisture cancel body odours with anti-bacterial ‘magic’ and make for a significantly more comfortable day on the circuit. They also make it so much easier to get in and out of a one piece suit. They simply maintain the wearers body temperature once they’re put on. One of the additional practicalities is that they are quick drying and can, therefore be washed in a hotel sink and left out on the patio to dry overnight! The other thing that you’re really going to find adds to your comfort is a pair of ear plugs. We’d recommend the ones that are connected to each other by a string, it makes them so much more difficult to lose!